Another Sick Reminder of What Should Have Been

Noah & Julia's 1996 Wedding Guest (L to R): Eileen Herlie, Michael Nader, Susan Lucci, Socorro Santiago, Raul Davila, Darlena Tejeiro and Catherine Gardner

This week's Soap Opera Digest featured a look back at some of Daytime's classic weddings. Representing the citizens of Pine Valley was Noah Keefer (Keith Hamilton Cobb) and Julia Santos' (Sydney Penny) 1996 nuptials at Wildwind.

Oh Esensten and Brown, you sure knew how to ruin a good thing. Wasting Penny's talent is just another thing on your long list of sins.

She's With Noah Now

Julia Keefer (Sydney Penny) joins her one true love today when the doctors at PVH run out of options.

We'll miss you Ms. Penny, thanks for the memories.

They better give Julia a good funeral. They better not pull a Trevor.

"I think it was easier to kill her, get her out of the way and move on"- Sydney Penny, SOD June 4, 2008

Sydney Penny breathes her last breath as Julia Keefer on May 27th. Only adding to All My Children's list of poorly written returns, Julia dies leaving her adoptive daughter, Kathy Keefer, orphaned again, sort of.

In honor of Penny's run on the show, let's take a look back at some of Julia's many memorable moments:

Julia Saves Maria from the Falling Chandelier (1994): Isabella and Hector Santos sent Julia to Pine Valley hoping she would be inspired to do something with her life by living with her successful big sister, Dr. Maria Santos soon to be Grey. The sisters did not exactly have the best relationship. Their animosity was a mix of their parents high expectations, and Julia's jealousy.
The greatest turning point for the sisters came about after a tornado ripped through the Valley Inn. Julia spotted a chandelier dangling on its last wire right above Maria. Without hesitation, Julia pushed Maria out of the way only to have her face ripped open by the crashing shards of glass.

Louie Greco rapes Julia (1994): Julia found her true self while living with her future husband, Noah Keefer, in Center City. Noah didn't care that Julia was disfigured, he saw the true beauty inside of her.
But their happiness was cut short when drug dealer Louie Greco broke into Noah's apartment and raped Julia. Julia found her way back to Wildwind, turning to Maria for help. Julia's road to recovery was marred by obstacles including learning she was pregnant with Greco's child and having an abortion, to the mental anguish she felt by even only looking at the man she loved, Noah.
Penny's performance as a recovering victim of rape garnered her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress.

Noah and Julia go on the Run in Jamaica (1996): To escape charges for Greco's murder, Noah and Julia became fugitives in Jamaica. After faking their deaths, the couple had a reprieve to admit their love for each other.





Julia and Noah Marry at Wildwind (1996): Edmund Grey opened Wildwind to Noah and Julia upon their return to Pine Valley. In a wedding inspired by Disney's Cinderella (Disney/ABC's media cross promotion at its best), Julia and Noah married in the Gothic castle in front of all their family and friends. The costumes were all custom made and inspired by the film.
The evening was truly a spectacle of daytime. Julia (and Penny) truly looked like a princess marrying her Prince Charming.
The details and grandeur of the event makes it one of the most memorable weddings in All My Children History.

Julia and Maria Reunite in the Wildwind Bar (2002): After six years apart, Julia and Maria come face to face in the Wildwind Barn. Only, Maria is an amnesiac and hiding her lover Aidan Devane from Edmund, and Julia has spent the last years of her life deep in the Witness Protection Program.
Just when Julia begins to think her all too rare visit was futile, Maria casually mentions the scar that used to be on Julia's face. For a second, the sisters look into each other's eyes and it is as if no time has passed at all.

Penny Set for May Exit

Soap Opera Digest is confirming the departure of Emmy Award Nominee Sydney Penny (Julia Keefer, pictured l.). She originated the role of nurse Keefer in 1993.

Her departure is storyline dictated. Which means there will be no fall out from the much anticipated, six year search for Kate Martin (Alexa Gerasmovich, pictuered r.) storyline.

Let's hope the rumors are true about the current writers, Barbara Esensten & James Harmon Brown, are on their way out. SOD is reporting former One Life to Live Executive Producer Gary Tomlin and former Primetime and General Hospital Headwriter Charles Pratt, jr. have been approached to take over.

Mr. Tomlin, Mr. Pratt, if you need a storyline consultant or researcher, I am volunteering. I will work free of charge if you can save our soap.

Let's Party Like its 1997!

SOD Online's feature this week is a quiz about All My Children in 1997. My favorite memory from that year has to be the feud at Wildwind between waring ladies of the manor Dr. Maria Grey (Eva LaRue then-Callahan) and Erica Kane-Marick (then and always-Susan Lucci).

It makes me sad to think Wildwind can become a thing of the past now that Sydney Penny (Julia Santos Keefer) is rumored to be on the chopping block. Those halls many memories of love, life and death.

Sidenote: Can the SOD Online editors be more lazy? Did anyone do the rearch and realize the picture they used in the feature of Lucci and Michael Nader (Dimtiri Marick) was actually from their remote shoot in Hungary in 1992. I am sure there are many lovely, and more timely photos in their vast photo collection.

I won't even begin to talk about the number of emails I have sent the online editor pointing errors in their stories.

Heck, if they're hiring, I'm looking.

Breaking News: Sydney Penny Let Go

Rumblings on SoapZone have Soap Opera Digest reporting that Sydney Penny (Julia Keefer, 1993-1996, 1997, 2002 and again from 2005-present) has been let go from All My Children. Could she be the person SOD has not making it through May Sweeps?

According to SON, Jeff Branson (ex-Jonathan Lavery) and Leven Rambin (ex- Lily Montgomery/Ava Benton) have also made their last appearances. The onscreen lovers were let go outside of the regular contract cycle, suggesting something went down behind the scenes. Both stars joined in 2004, at one of All My Children's peaks of success.

Check back for more news on these major cast shakeups.

A Ghost of Christmas Past
In 2002, Julia Keefer (Sydney Penny) was amnesiac Maria Grey's (Eva LaRue) surprise Christmas present. Their brother, Mateo Santos (Marc Consuelos), was able to arrange the visit after helping the FBI in the Proteus drug ring investigation, though Julia was supposed to be Witness Protection with her husband, Noah Keefer (Keith Hamilton Cobb).

Julia helped Maria hide her new lover, an injured Aidan Devane (Aiden Turner), in the Wildwind hayloft . She also caused Maria to remember the tornado in 1994, that left Julia disfigured after a chandelier fell on her at Chandler Mansion.

Flash forward five years, and Julia is a now a widow and out of Witness Protection. Though the Santos family all live in California with Mateo, Julia has started her life anew with her own Christmas miracle, adopted daughter Kathy Mershon Keefer.